A team of students from a local college has ranked nationally in a skill completion.

Participating in the SkillsUSA national competition at Kansas City, Mo., Team Lanier Tech took home a bronze medal from the competition.

Facing off against more than 6,000 competitors in 99 hands-on skill and leadership contests, Lanier Tech students worked against and alongside other students a partnership of students, teachers and industry to work together to ensure America has a skilled work force.

According to SkillsUSA, its goal is to help each student excel. Started in 1967, the competition formerly known as VICA, or Vocational Industrial Clubs of America, has steadily grown from the original 54 competitors in three contests to more than 6,000 competitors.

Team Lanier Tech's David Jones and Mario Olivas won a bronze in Mechatronics, an emerging field of engineering that integrates electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, control engineering and information technology.

Mechatronics combines these areas of engineering to allow the design, development and application of "smart devices" in an integrated, cross-disciplinary manner.

Other Team Lanier Tech members include Victor Roman, Greg Campbell and Todd Simpson competing in automated manufacturing, Luz Rojas in nail care, Devin McLincha in CNC turning and Kyle Livingston in precision machining.

Team Lanier Tech would like to thank their instructors Jim Mealor, Michael Schmidt, Jayna Durden and Sam Ajlani.

Dana Nichols, associate vice president for academic affairs, represented the college's president, Ray Perren, during the competition.